Garment belts



y 5, 1959 L. RQCUYTTLER 2,884,647

GARMENT BELTS Filed Dec. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENIORI. LEONARD R. Curnca sex MW ATTORNEY y 1959 L. R. CUTTLER 2,884,647

GARMENT BELTS Filed Dec. 1 1956 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LEONARD R. CUTTLER BY [hum ATTORNEY United States Patent Thepresent invention relates to: garment belts: prir marily for-ladies dresses or. the like, but it'is not. to. be restricted to such uses.

Among the objects ofthe invention is -t 'o provide: a. simple effective method-ofiproducing a fabric ncluding. natural'aswell-as imitation leather'and plastics) covered.

complete belt including fasteningmeans.

Another object is to provide as anarticleofmanufac ture, a-marketab1e-belt foundation kit includingprefabrh cated. belt making materials, but without the: covering fabric, the user providing her orhis own selection of cover fabric.

Another object is to provide, as: an;art1c1e of manufacture, a. marketable belt foundation kit: including prefabricated belt-making materials which can: readily be trimmed I tOrfit different size waists.-

Other objects and advantages'will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference. tothe following description, and the accompanying drawings-in which Fig. l is a plan view showing one end of. a belt producedunder the invention.

Fig. 2. isa-sirnilar view of the other end of the belt but from the other face.

Fig. 3" is a section online 33 of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is asection: on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5-is a section similar to. Fig. 3 butindicatingthe application of the. invention to-the. production of a skirt waistband.

Fig. 6 is: a section of suchwaistband showing the mat ingmemberrof. the: fastener.

Fig. 7 is an illustration ofsucha waistband inunfastened condition;

Fig. 8 is .a perspective view of the two conjunctive ends 0151 the: inner and finishing: strips, showing the male stud ontheinner strip. and the female socket on the finishing Stli li ig; 9' is a perspective view similartoFig. 8, but with the: conjunctive elementsreversed', so that the socket memher is. applied to the innerstrip and the stud is affixed to the: finishingstrip.

Fig; 10 is a plan view of the inner and'fi'ni'shingstrips with their-respective conjunctive fastening elements, comprising abelt kit.

Fig: 11 is a plan view of the stud fastening-element and the washer or closure element which is partially through an opening in the covering pl y' overlying the inner strlp. Fig. 12.is a. plan view showing the washer or closure element exteriorly. of the covering ply, the opening in the coveringply being shown in broken line.

Fig. 13 is: a" plan view of'the stiffening strip and covering; fabric showing a step in the fabrication of 'abelt; and

Fig. l4-is a plan view showing another step in the fabrication of: a belt.

In the drawing, a fabric covered belt 10 is illustrated ply. -11.-is\ sufficiently longerand: wider than the inner strip 1 ice 2g. 12so that sidecoverpl'y. edges 11a. and end.edges-llbzmay, be folded overthe edges12'atofthe inner. strip..and..-extend:: far enough over to underlie. thevfinishing strip 15. which. should be somewhat narrower than or at least. no. wider} than the inner. strip.

As indicated. inFigs. 1 and 3, the;inner strip; 12. will; have fiiredto it .one or. more female snap fastener mentbers. 16, these beingshowniin spaced alignment; and the: cover fabric ply 11 is shown as extending over and. com cealing the, rear faceof the fasteners. Thefemalesnap fastener, socket .element 16.is of conventional construction; and comprises a socket 16s disposedon onezsideof the; stiffener strip 12 and secured theretoby the retaining ring; 16r, so arranged that the retaining ring passes. through an;- opening 16p in the strip 12 and is secured in grommet fashion. thereto. Theconstructionis clearly. showminz. Fig. 3...

In. order. thatthefastenersmay be available, the'finishs ing-strip. 15, which overlies the inner. strip. 12; and-edges; 11a and 11b of the cover ply. 11, is provided with openingsl7 through which the. socket side or face ofthe. fass: tencrs, 16 appear.

At the other end of the belt; the mating memb.er 2.0:of3" the. fastener is assembled. with the inner strip- 12, a.-small;- washer or closure element 21 preferably of the. same;ma1 terial as that of the finishing strip 15, being disposed; underneath the metal flange 2.2 of thefastener. Tl1e:mat.-= i'ng member 20, which is the male member-of the fastening-i device comprises the.post;20a. having-aflange 20b,- and! the stud. 20c-having the flangev 22. The flange 20b bears; on the inner. strip 12 at anopeningtherethrough and: the; flange 22 bearsv upon thefabric washer 21, to conjoinxthem. when the post. is inserted into the-stud, to, form themale.

member 20. This construction of the mating member 20'.

isv conventional in theart, and similar to that shown in: thepatent to Frost, 2,325,847.

With the inner strip -12'pr0videdjthuswith the-fastener;

the cover ply 11 is provided with: an opening 23 of a di-- as shown in Fig. 4.

As. shown herein, the cover material 11 maybe any suitable clothor other fabric, whilethe. inner stiffening strip may also be any one of a number of. wellrknown stiffening fabrics. The finishing strip. andthe washeror closure element 21 however consist:v of a. suitable, fabric coated on one face with a heat-sensitive: adhesive 50v and 54, respectively, such as the welllknown. polyvinylchloe ride adhesives. The stiffening. strip. 12 may also be provided. with a similar adhesive, 52 on one or. both faces; Other adhesives may be used, butv the heat. sensitive adhesives are preferred.

Using such adhesives, when the several strips are as-- sembled as described and with the coated faces of the strip 15 and-washer or closure element'21 of course fac-- ing inward, application of heat and pressure, such as is foundation kit comprising, as its: principal elements, heat sensitive. adhesive coated inner strips and finishing strips;

While; the parts above describe the inner strip 12 as pro vided With both members of the fastener, the do-it-your sel belt; foundation kitcontemplates, in order topermit The. finishing strip then overlies the back face of theafastener'and cover ply edges the same parts to be used to produce belts of different lengths, an arrangement in which one of the fastener parts, for example the socket or female portion 16, may be fixed to the finishing strip 15 and the other portion together with the washer or closure element, mounted on the inner strip, shown in Figure 8. As shown in Fig. 9, the socket 16 may be aflixed to inner strip 12 and the stud fastener 20 aflixed to the finishing strip. Because the inner strip is covered with the covering ply 11 having a raw edge at opening 23, the washer or closure element 21 is combined here, Fig. 9, with the socket member 16, the stud member 20 being attached to finishing strip 15 above.

When the fastener parts are so mounted,'the two complementary strips 12 and 15 may be of sutficient length to provide for a considerable range of belt lengths, the user measuring off the length desired and cutting a portion from the ends of the strips not having the fastener.

'In' such a do-it-yourself belt foundation kit, the strips 12 and 15 have equal lengths, which represent the maximum waist measurement for which a belt can be made by that particular kit. In order to adapt the strips for a shorter belt, the strip 12 is fitted about the waist and a pencil mark 24 is made on the adhesive coated side 52 where the stud 20 meets the other end, as shown in Fig. 13. After allowing another two inches for an overlap, the excess material is cut off, and shaped in the form of a point as shown at 25. A piece of cover fabric 11 is cut slightly longer and wider than the strip 12, and also trimmed to have a pointed end, as shown in Fig. 13. The fabric 11 is placed on an ironing board with its wrong side up and the strip is centered thereon, as shown in Fig. 13. The edges 11a and 11b are bent over against the adhesive coating 52, (see Fig. 14) and adhered thereto by pressing with a heated iron. A circular portion of the fabric 11 is then cut away around the stud fastener 20, leaving a hole 23 slightly larger than the metal flange and smaller than the closure element 21. The closure element 21 can then be pulled through the opening so formed by any suitable tool, such as the point of a scissors (Fig. 11). The finishing strip 15, with its adhesive coating 50 facing downward, is placed so that the socket fastener 16 meets the pencil mark 24, as shown in Fig. 14, and is heat sealed thereto by ironing, stopping just short of the ends. The ends of the strip 15 are then cut to the proper length, and the finished belt is pressed by the heated iron, which heat seals the strips 12 and 15 to each other and to the fabric 12, and seals the closure element 16 to the fabric to close the hole through which the stud fastener element 20 passes.

In putting the belt together, the two strips will of course be arranged with the two fastener parts at opposite ends and on opposite faces. In other respects the steps of assembling are substantially the same.

In'Figs. -7 is illustrated a further adaptation of the invention in the production of a skirt waistband. In these figures, a suitable strip 30 of the skirt material or other selected fabric is stitched along one edge in the usual fashion to the skirt material 31 and the inner stiffening strip 12 placed in position to be unfolded as shown. The strip 30 after being folded over the inner strip 12, is then stitched as indicated at 32. In this construction, the strip 12 will, as in the case of the belt, have the fastener element 16 preassembled and the cover strip provided with suitable openings 33 baring the element 16. Also, in this case, since no finishing strip is used, the face 34 of the inner strip 12 will be coated with the adhesive 52.

At the other end 40 of the band, the other element 16a of the fastener is assembled on the inner strip 12 with a washer or closure element 41 under it, as in the case of the belt, the washer or closure element being coated on its underside with the adhesive 54 and the cover material having an opening 33 permitting the passage of the washer or closure element and flange.

The present invention described herein comprises a finished belt and the process of producing it, and since it would be impracticable to supply the infinite variety of cover strips, it comprises a do-it-yourself kit or package containing an inner or stiffening strip 12 suitably coated with the adhesive 52 and also a finishing strip 15 suitably coated with adhesive 50, the strips carrying the fastener parts 16 and 20 as mentioned above. The kits will of course contain different widths and lengths of the strips with one or several fasteners and may be of difierent colors. An illustration of a kit 60 is that shown in Fig. 10, in which the inner strip 12 and the finishing strip 15 comprise the kit, each having one of the fastener elements, 16 or 20, afiixed thereto according to the description and illustrations in the several views of the drawings.

I claim:

1. A garment belt consisting of an inner coverable strip of flat uniplanar relatively stiff fabric coated on one of its sides with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having fixed thereto adjacent one end one member of a fastening device, a covering ply of fabric having an opening aligned with said one member of the fastening device and having its edge portions folded over and covering all of the edges of said uniplanar inner strip so as to leave exposed a portion of the adhesive coated side thereof intermediate its side and end edges, and a separate finishing strip of fabric coated on one of its sides with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having aifixed thereto the second complementary member of said fasten ing device adjacent the end opposite that of said inner strip supporting said one member, said finishing strip overlying the infolded edges of said covering ply and the exposed portion of said inner strip, said strips and covering ply being conjoined by said adhesives, said inner strip having a flexible closure element secured by said one member to the side opposite said adhesive coated side, and said closure element passing through said opening and overlying said covering ply at said one member and covering said opening.

2. A garment belt consisting of an inner coverable strip of uniplanar relatively stiff fabric coated on one of its sides with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having afiixed thereto adjacent one end a stud member of a fastening device, a cover ply of fabric having an opening aligned with said stud member of the fastening device and having its edge portions folded over and covering all of the edges of said uniplanar inner strip so as to leave exposed a portion of the adhesive coated side thereof intermediate its side and end edges, and a separate finishing strip of fabric coated on one of its sides with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having aflixed thereto the complementary socket member of said fastening device adjacent the end opposite that of said inner strip supporting said stud member, said finishing strip being of lesser width than that of said inner strip and overlying the infolded edges of said cover ply within the perimeter of the covered inner strip and the exposed portion of said inner strip, said strips and cover ply being conjoined by said adhesives, said inner strip having a flexible closure element secured by said stud member to the side thereof opposite said adhesive coated side, and

said closure element passing through said opening and overlying said covering ply at said stud member and covering said opening.

3. In a garment belt foundation kit, a coverable inner strip of uniplanar relatively stiff fabric coated on one of its sides with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having afiixed thereto on the opposite side adjacent one end only a stud member of a fastening device, and a separate finishing strip of fabric coated on one of its sides with a, heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having affixed thereto on the opposite side adjacent one end only the complementary socket member of said fastening device, said inner strip having a flexible closure element for said inner strip and secured by'said stud member to the side of said inner strip opposite said adhesive coated side, said closure element having a coating layer of a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive on the side thereof adjacent said inner strip.

4. The construction defined in claim 3, and in which said finishing strip of fabric is of lesser width than that of said coverable strip.

5. In a garment belt foundation kit, a uniplanar strip of relatively stitf fabric designed to be coverable with a covering ply of fabric, said strip of relatively stiff fabric being coated on one side with a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive and having afiixed thereto on the opposite side adjacent one end only thereof a stud member of a fastening device, said member comprising a flanged post passed through said strip and conjoined with a flanged stud on the other side of said strip, and a fabric closure element positioned intermediate said flanged stud and said strip, said closure element having a coating of a heat and pressure sensitive adhesive on the side thereof facing said strip and adapted to overlie and be secured to said covering ply at said flanged stud to cover and opening in said covering ply.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 413,509 Haviland Oct. 22, 1889 1,155,187 Woodrufi Sept. 28, 1915 2,042,286 Wilson May 26, 1936 2,325,847 Frost Aug. 3, 1943 2,602,932 Eaton July 15, 1952 2,624,091 Van Buren Jan. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,546 Great Britain of 1909 637,344- France Jan. 28, 1928 417,242 Great Britain Oct. 1, 1934 

